# Using MS Access on linux through ruby on rails

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-ms-access-on-linux-through-ruby-on-rails/88543>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [March 12, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-ms-access-on-linux-through-ruby-on-rails/88543 "2007-03-12T14:51:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![spashokkumar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@spashokkumar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spashokkumar)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-ms-access-on-linux-through-ruby-on-rails/88543/1 "2007-03-12T14:51:38Z")

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hi,

i want to access “Microsoft access files(\*.mdb)” on linux through ruby  
on  
rails framework.  
is it possible?  
if so how?  
any examples available?  
can any one give me some pointers?

Ashok

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**Author:** ![spashokkumar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@spashokkumar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spashokkumar)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 12:28am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-ms-access-on-linux-through-ruby-on-rails/88543/2 "2007-03-13T00:28:38Z")

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On 3/12/07, Ashok K. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Ashok

MDB Tools ([http://mdbtools.sourceforge.net/](http://mdbtools.sourceforge.net/)) is a program (Perl, I  
think)  
that runs on Linux and lets you access Access files. Looks like it’s  
read-only, and I haven’t tried it, but might help.

Nate

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**Author:** ![spashokkumar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@spashokkumar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spashokkumar)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-ms-access-on-linux-through-ruby-on-rails/88543/3 "2007-03-13T21:37:47Z")

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On 3/12/07, Ashok K. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Ashok

I just saw this today on the Polishing Ruby blog  
([http://blog.zenspider.com/](http://blog.zenspider.com/)):  
activemdb ([http://rubyforge.org/projects/activemdb](http://rubyforge.org/projects/activemdb)). From the rubyforge  
project page:

“Lets non-Windows boxes read MS Access (.mdb) files. Uses  
ActiveRecord-ish  
reflection to parse table and column names. Intended for exploration and  
migration, not production. Requires binaries from the MDB Tools project  
(  
[http://mdbtools.sourceforge.net/](http://mdbtools.sourceforge.net/)).”

Nate

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**Author:** ![spashokkumar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@spashokkumar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spashokkumar)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 3:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-ms-access-on-linux-through-ruby-on-rails/88543/4 "2007-03-14T03:31:19Z")

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Can OpenOffice’s database open Access files?  
Perhaps there is an angle in from there…

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**Author:** ![spashokkumar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@spashokkumar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/spashokkumar)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 12:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-ms-access-on-linux-through-ruby-on-rails/88543/5 "2007-03-14T12:32:24Z")

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On 3/14/07, Nathan S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> > any examples available?
> 
> “Lets non-Windows boxes read MS Access (.mdb) files. Uses ActiveRecord-ish  
> reflection to parse table and column names. Intended for exploration and  
> migration, not production. Requires binaries from the MDB Tools project (  
> [http://mdbtools.sourceforge.net/](http://mdbtools.sourceforge.net/)).”

Great !  
do u have any idea, how to use this.  
as a beginner, i am not getting idea to implement this.  
will you?

Ashok

Nate